1973 Topps #285 Don Kessinger
About Don Kessinger
In 1972 Kessinger put together a 17-game hitting streak and led the club with 577 at-bats. In September at Wrigley Field he stopped Nate Colbert's shot in the hole between third and short and threw out the runner by a half step, helping protect Milt Pappas's no-hitter against San Diego. Topps #285, from the third series, has him with the Cubs.
Don Kessinger was a switch-hitting shortstop who signed with the Chicago Cubs out of the University of Mississippi, where he had also been an All-American basketball player, and played for them from 1964 to 1975. Paired for nine straight years with second baseman Glenn Beckert, Kessinger made six All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves, repeatedly leading National League shortstops in assists and putouts. His trademark play, ranging to his right to spear a grounder and whip it to first while reversing in the air, was named "The Down Pat" by teammate Ferguson Jenkins. After Chicago traded him to St. Louis in 1975, he finished his career with the Chicago White Sox, where in 1979 he became the last player-manager in American League history. He later coached baseball at Ole Miss, his alma mater.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 153 | 3 | 39 | 86 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #464 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #21 Randy Hundley
- #44 Rick Monday
- #61 1972 Batting Leaders
- #70 Milt Pappas
- #81 Cubs Field Leaders
- #115 Ron Santo
- #139 Carmen Fanzone
- #180 Fergie Jenkins
- #200 Billy Williams
- #262 Jack Aker
- #309 Paul Popovich
- #328 Bill Bonham
- #367 Burt Hooton
- #393 Jose Cardenal
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #285 card?
It is card #285 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs.
How many cards are in the 1973 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 679 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, in five series of 132 - #1-132, #133-264, #265-396, #397-528 and the high numbers, #529-660, printed in lower quantities; 19 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fifteen Field Leaders cards, the #20 Stan Bahnsen, #31 Buddy Bell and #504 Earl Williams border-gap pairs and the two #280 Al Kaline printings.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.